Icelandic Winter

Iceland's landscape is dramatic no matter the season. This visit to the land of fire and ice occurred in December, where sunlight was available less than 5 hours a day--cloud cover depending. But, when the clouds break, the northern lights dance across the sky providing a very mystical and magical experience!

Reykjavik is a great first stop ahead of any exploration. The city has its own unique charms including rich history and folklore.

Buoakirkja Black Church--One of small hand full of black churches in Iceland, sits amid a lava field along the southern coast line.

An abandoned house along the beach head of Iceland's southern coast.

Farm buildings, holiday cottages, lighthouses, and amazing colorful skies!

In 1973 a United States Navy DC plane ran out of fuel and crashed on the black beach at Sólheimasandur, in the South Coast of Iceland. Fortunately, everyone in that plane survived. Later it turned out that the pilot had simply switched over to the wrong fuel tank. The remains are still on the sand very close to the sea. This is a great spot to catch star trails, the Milky Way and the Northern Lights!

Vestahorn mountains with northern lights

Vestrahorn, on the Stokksnes peninsula in Iceland, has dramatic peaks reaching up to 454 meters (1490 ft). It rises out of a flat, black sand beach and dominates the view whilst a gentle clear lagoon laps at the shore. In the winter, the water turns to ice and provides a nice a reflection.

Skógafoss, one of Iceland’s biggest and most beautiful waterfalls with an with a 197 foot drop; a close-up of a large tree trunk; sunrise from the hillside overlooking White Church, and a furry friend at the cafe at Vesterhorn.

To say Iceland has glaciers is a major understatement. From a miles-wide moving glacier and massive icebergs floating by, to crystal clear chunks washing up on Black Diamond Beach--there is enough ice here to meet everyone's fancy!

The "Magnificent Seven" of Icelandic horses....

A visit to Iceland is not complete without a few shots of Icelandic horses! The Icelandic horse is a unique breed of smallish horses that came to Iceland with the first settlers from Norway 1100 years ago.

Everything in Iceland is majestic. If you can brave the bitter cold, seemingly endless darkness, and bone-cutting wind of the Icelandic winter, you will be rewarded with a new respect for nature and for the amazing people who call Iceland home.

Earth-Life Studios

Created By

Cindy Eccles

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Credits:

All images by CA Eccles, Earth-Life Studios